WHILE there are not thought to be any Barnsley people in Team GB for this summer’s Olympics, Reds fan and artist Ben Mosley will be based with them throughout the summer.
He will be the official team artist – painting live every day at Team GB House, their hospitality and entertainment venue at Pavillon d’Armenonville from July 26 to August 11.
He will produce a series of paintings that will be exhibited before being sold and auctioned with 60 per cent of the proceeds going towards Team GB’s fundraising for future Olympic success.
With an expressionist style influenced by Picasso and Matisse, Mosley has painted live at a range of events, from the FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium, to the Monaco Grand Prix and Dubai Desert Classic at the Emirates Golf Club. He also painted a mural based on the last Olympics.
Ben, who grew up in Hertfordshire as a Barnsley fan because his dad is from Cudworth, is a regular at Oakwell and has taken part in several painting projects for the club.
He painted the mural of the Reds’ history inside the Pontefract Road End.
Mosley said: “It’s an honour to work with Team GB once again capturing the success of our amazing Team GB athletes. “Sport brings people together in celebration and it’s a terrific honour to represent my country through these paintings which hopefully can become a bit of history for collectors of art and fans of Team GB.”
While Mosley was appointed as a Team GB artist for Tokyo 2020, COVID restrictions in Japan meant his works had to be produced from back in the UK.
The last time an artist formed part of the British delegation at an Olympic event was at the London 1948 Olympic Games, when art competitions were included within the games.